Chapter 119: Gifts
In an atmosphere of almost prayerful anticipation, Hallowe'en finally arrived. The castle buzzed with excitement, students eagerly awaiting the famously spectacular decorations and feast. Gifts were exchanged, sweets shared, and the Room of Hope was no exception.
"Well, Sean, nice of you to finally surface," Justin teased. Sean had just entered the room, completely obscured by an enormous cloud of levitating candy boxes.
Sean calmly directed the sweets into the wooden cupboard near the fireplace. The six-shelf unit was already more than half full of various magical and mundane treats. Justin immediately began levitating a few boxes back out.
"Try this one?" he offered, holding up a blue, mouse-shaped gummy.
A moment later, Neville's teeth were chattering as he let out a muffled squeak. "It's in my mouth!" he cried, sticking out his tongue, trying frantically to dislodge the (non-existent) tail.
"Neville, I told you that would happen before you ate it," Hermione said, raising an eyebrow, though her eyes danced with amusement.
"Try this!" Justin popped a red candy into his own mouth. "Pepper Imps. They're supposed to make you breathe fire… duck!"
"Whoa!" Hermione's grin widened as Justin began to smoke from his ears, nose, and mouth. Her own shelf in the cupboard was overflowing, mostly with gifts from her friends in this room. It was more than enough.
On the table, a Fanged Geranium, perhaps agitated by the wisp of smoke, recoiled, its vine brushing against a letter Sean had placed there. Beside the letter sat a small, silver cat figurine. It looked simple, but it was a product of complex, multi-layered Transfiguration, designed to resist simple counter-charms. It wasn't the only gift Sean had prepared today, which explained his focused haste...
A soft coo came from the window. A snowy owl, looking proud and ruffled, landed on the sill, a stray feather clutched in its beak. It had, after all, just won a rather feisty aerial battle with ten other owls for the privilege of landing there.
"Una, thank you for helping," Sean said, tying several small parcels and letters to her leg. He offered a plate of cut-up toast and meat, which the owl accepted graciously. He had made a point to learn the names of all the regular delivery owls.
"Coo." Una nuzzled his finger before launching back into the grey sky.
In the Transfiguration Office, Minerva McGonagall accepted the delivery from the snowy owl. She looked at the small, silver cat figurine, and her eyes, usually so stern, softened like a deep lake rippling in a gentle breeze. Her desk was already covered in letters – letters she had written to Croydon, to Hollysage Orphanage, most of which had been returned, unanswered, by the same owls that delivered them.
But the letter she held now, the one accompanying the silver cat, was not from her. It was signed by a "Mrs. Roland," a name she recognized as a frequent volunteer at Hollysage.
In the Charms Classroom, Professor Flitwick was in high spirits. "Now, don't forget that subtle wrist movement we've been practicing!" he squeaked from his stack of books. "Swish and flick! And clear pronunciation is vital!"
Nearly half a month had passed since their first lesson on the Levitation Charm, and most students still struggled. Today, however, something was different. Where before, students like Seamus had swished and flicked fruitlessly until their feathers (in Seamus's case) caught fire, today, a significant portion of the class was casting with a new, uniform precision. Their pronunciation was synchronized, their wand movements crisp.
Unsurprisingly, feathers all over the room began to twitch, shudder, and rise.
"Tremendous progress, ladies and gentlemen!" Flitwick cried joyfully.
"I never knew Charms could be this easy," Ron whispered to Harry. "You just have to follow the notes…" Harry nodded, completely convinced.
"You're still saying it wrong," Hermione's voice cut in, sharp and clear. "It's Win-GAR-dium Levi-O-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"You think you know better than Sean?!" Ron retorted, his face flushing.
Sean, sitting right next to Hermione: "?"
"You're using the old version!" Hermione huffed, rolling up her sleeves. "Sean's understanding of the charm has evolved more than you have from troll to wizard! Wing-GAR-dium Levi-O-SA!" Her own feather shot up and hovered perfectly.
"Oh, well done!" Flitwick clapped. "Everyone, look! Miss Granger's levitation is beautiful!"
At the end of class, Flitwick kept Sean behind, holding up a familiar blue notebook. "A very intuitive method, Mr. Green, quite fascinating. Immensely helpful for beginners. But, my dear boy," he added, his tone kind, "the true mysteries of Charms lie far beyond these simpler steps…"
Sean understood what the professor was implying and nodded respectfully.
Following the sweet scent of pumpkin, Sean left the classroom. He saw Hermione marching triumphantly out of the hall, and Ron hurrying after her, his face a mask of academic desperation. Ron, now obsessed with getting the updated notes, probably wouldn't have time to badmouth Hermione. Which meant, Sean thought with relief, Hermione was unlikely to be crying in the girls' bathroom when the troll arrived.
In the corridor, Ron's mood was surprisingly upbeat. He cornered one of Hermione's Gryffindor dorm mates. "Have the Green Notes… been updated?"
"How should I know?" the girl snapped, annoyed. "She said unless we practice with her, she'll never show us… Insufferable know-it-all."
"Pity Mr. Green," another girl added. "She must have slipped him a Love Potion…"
(End of Chapter)
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